National Assessments to be replaced - Motshekga
24 May 2017
Cape Town - The controversial Annual National Assessments (ANA) are on their way out and will be replaced by the National Integrated Assessment Framework (NIAF), Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced on Wednesday morning.
Addressing the media at Parliament before delivering her department's budget speech, Motshekga said the proposed NIAF was structured on offering elements that integrated diagnostic assessment tools, summative examinations and independently administered systemic evaluations.
A costed project plan to implement the model in the next three financial years was approved by the department's director-general in November.
The framework's diagnostic tests will be based on test items from different topics designed to assist teachers to identify and remediate learning gaps.
The first batch of diagnostic tests will be distributed to schools at the beginning of the second quarter of this financial year.
Three year evaluation
A systemic evaluation will be conducted once every three years to a sample of learners at Grade 3, 6 and 9. The first cycle will start in 2018.
A national summative assessment will form part of the end of year examination for Grades 6 and 9.
A pilot study on the test items to be used in this assessment will be conducted this year and the system readiness for using it as part of the progression and promotion of learners will be piloted in 2018. The first cycle of the summative assessment will be implemented in 2019.
The ANAs, which test literacy and numeracy, drew the ire of teacher trade unions because according to them it places a burden on teachers and its results are used to name and shame schools and teachers. This came to a head in September 2015.
Motshekga said she was also concerned about the ANAs due to the frequency and that it didn't allow schools time to remediate.
"By the time teachers threw their toys around, we have already asked for comments on ANA," she said.
